What Travel Teaches You - that everybody is different, from chopsticks to banana leaf plates

 

My Facebook friend learned about aesthetics in hotel management. What were the aesthetics? Let me guess. Flower arrangements. Cleanliness. Calm. Theme. Declutter. Privacy. 

What style? Warm colours. Seasonal. Variety. Harmony. 

Chinese

The Chinese like the colour red and water features and Feng shui ...? 

Japanese

The Japanese are minimalist and four seasons. 

British

The British go for understatement and tradition. 

Arabs

Arabs from rich countries such as Dubai want everything ultra modern. Brand new.  No interest in art deco. As for the fifties. Horror! They like lots of empty space, like a desert. 

The military want everything matching. My army tenants wanted dinner sets of 12 pieces in plain colours, brand new. 

I am happier with bohemian style, a restaurant where every chair is different, the modern coffee bar style, every cup different, Odd Sock company. Two different ear-rings, same materials and same colour but different styles.

 In the old days everything had to be symmetrical. 

Moslems think everything should have a flaw because only God can create perfection. 

Some people want a school uniform. Others like everybody to wear something different.

Decor Colours

The Victorians opted for dark colours, black and plum. That way smoke from candles and the coal fires in the fireplaces would not create dirt which showed. 

Wedding Dress Colour

Wedding dresses were dark when you only bathed and changed your clothes once a week. In the 1800s, Charlotte Bronte had three dresses, one for weekdays, one for Sundays, and one for weddings and funerals.

Knives And Forks

What  travel teaches you is that everybody is different. In England we eat with a knife and fork, a spoon for dessert. 

The Americans put down the knife when eating.  They transfer the fork into their right hand.

The Americans have their leftovers wrapped up to go. Traditionally, the British would frown at such an idea.  But now the trend is swinging the other way. Anti-waste.

The Chinese do not use a knife at table at all. To them it seems dangerous and aggressive, a bad omen. They use chopsticks.

About the Author

Angela Lansbury is a travel writer and photographer, author and speaker, fashionista. Please share links to your favourite posts or one or more of the blogs

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Give Me The Chopsticks - I have Trouble Using A Fork!" How Do You Use A Fork?

 How to Use Chopsticks. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Problem
My Chinese Singaporean friend says to the serving person, "I'll take the chopsticks - I have trouble using a fork!" For a moment I think he is joking. To be sure, I ask him: "Do you really have trouble using a fork?"

Answer
He replied, "Yes, I always eat with chopsticks."
I protested, incredulously, "I mean, using a fork is easy!"
"Easy for you you, because you are used to using knives and forks. Like you have trouble with chopsticks, I have trouble with forks."

"But, what's the problem? Holding the fork? Pushing the food onto it?"
"I can hold a fork. I used to work in an Italian restaurant as a waiter. But it's picking up the food."
"The way you do it is push food such as peas onto the back of the fork with your knife - I mean there are two ways, you can spear the peas with the prongs of the fork ...  Actually, there are three ways - you can also turn the fork upside down, like a spoon, so long as nobody is looking and you are not in a restaurant, because it's not good manners. Does that solve your problem? What kind of food do you have trouble with?"
"Spaghetti."
"Ah - English people have trouble with that, too. You eat it with a fork and spoon, not a knife and fork. You push spagetthi onto the spoon, then rotate your fork ..."
"Horizontally or vertically?"
"Well, first vertically, to get the food which is in the spoon wrapped around the prongs of the fork, then lift the fork horizontally, in mid-air, and twirl any bits which are falling off - I think you need to ask an Italian."

We didn't even get onto how Americans eat differently, by cutting up the food first, putting down the knife, then eating with a fork.

If you want a subject of discussion, avoiding controversial subjects such as politics, religions and sex. stick to discussing how to eat with chopsticks and knives and forks and spoons.

As for where you put the knives and forks on plates after eating, that's different and England and France.

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. For more posts on table etiquette, knives and forks and chopsticks, see posts on Travel with Angela Lansbury. Please share links to your favourite posts.